Beaten and starved: Shock in India as police rescue men from bonded labour
Police in India's Uttar Pradesh state have rescued 12 men who were allegedly being held as bonded labour at a small factory, sparking outrage across
Police in India's Uttar Pradesh state have rescued 12 men who were allegedly being held as bonded labour at a small factory, sparking outrage across the country. The men were lured with promises of jobs but were then held against their will for months, police said. They were allegedly forced to work around the clock and brutally beaten if they demanded wages or tried to leave.
Two people have been arrested in the case, while the factory owner is on the run, police added. The incident has once again drawn attention to bonded labour in India. Although made illegal 50 years ago, it continues to exist in parts of the country, with poor workers often trapped through debt, threats and coercion. Warning: Some readers may find details in this story distressing.
The incident that took place in Muzaffarnagar district came to light after police received a tip-off last week about workers allegedly being held captive at a disposable plate manufacturing factory. Senior police official Sanjai Kumar told the BBC that they first sent in a decoy and then raided the factory on Monday along with labour department and district officials. The 12 rescued were from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Uttarakhand, while one was from Nepal.
Some had been held at the factory for as long as 18 months, the police said. Kumar described the living conditions as marked by "tremendous atrocity", adding that the injuries on the workers' bodies were "shocking".
The BriefWire